Here is another great recipe to consider for the upcoming season. As a kid we had this in the cabinet in cans and usually it was really sweet. My mom used to give it to us as a snack with cottage cheese. Now that I am a canning and don't shop in the "canned" fruit isle at the grocery store this is a much better substitution. You can use other fruits in this recipe like apricots or pineapple if you have a more "tropical" idea.

If you read this recipe carefully you will find that they add the measured hot liquid to the jar first then add the fruit and then fill the rest of the way with the hot liquid to the proper headspace. Enjoy!

Mixed Fruit Cocktail

3 lbs peaches

3 lbs pears

1-1/2 lbs slightly under ripe seedless green grapes

10-oz jar of maraschino cherries

3 cups sugar

4 cups water

Yield: About 6 pints

Preparing fruit: Stem and wash grapes, and keep in ascorbic acid or lemon juice. Dip ripe but firm peaches, a few at a time, in boiling water for 1 to 1-1/2 minutes to loosen skins. Dip in cold water and slip off skins. Cut in half, remove pits, cut into 1/2-inch cubes and keep in solution with grapes. Peel, halve, and core pears. Cut into 1/2-inch cubes, and keep in solution with grapes and peaches.

Cooking: Combine sugar and water in a saucepan and bring to boil.

Filling: Drain mixed fruit. Add 1/2 cup of hot syrup to each hot jar. Then add a few cherries and gently fill the jar with mixed fruit and more hot syrup, leaving 1/2-inch headspace.

Processing: Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace if needed. Wipe rims of jars with a dampened clean paper towel. Adjust hot lids and process in a water bath for 20 minutes.

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The gel point method is also noted in many cookbooks and is a process to test the gel of a jam, jelly or preserve. There are two methods of testing using a spoon or a plate.

SHEET TEST

Dip a cold metal spoon into the boiling soft spread. Lift the spoon and hold it horizontally with edge down so that the syrup runs off the edge. As the mixture cooks, the drops will become heavier and will drop off the spoon separately but two at a time. When the two drops join together and “sheet” off the spoon, the gel stage has been reached.

FREEZER TEST

Chill a small saucers in the freezer. Place a teaspoonful of soft spread on the chilled saucer and place in the freezer for 1 minute. Remove the saucer from the freezer and push the edge of the spread with your finger. A mixture that has reached the gel stage will be set, and the surface will wrinkle when the edge is pushed.